Monster Hunter: Sort of Immortal
by zweihander1
Summary: A hunter staggers as he's thrust straight into the fray. Can he and his misfit allies overcome the challeges and achieve glory?
1. Chapter 1

Hey all! Little intro here.

Tuth be told, I'm new to this, ALL of this, meaning writing. I could use some critizism and would really appreciate some help. That being said, please go easy with it; I'm sensitive.

I'm also unsure how this site completely works so tips on that would also help.

Thanks for clicking, I hope you enjoy!

**1**

**ROOKIE MISTAKES**

I'm in as deep as I can get. I've played out in my head a thousand times and this never once crossed my mind as a real possibility, not like this.

My, so-called, friends and I were contracted to out by the town heads to head off into the mountains and slay some rogue blangos that had been a little too close to the town the past few days for anyone's comfort. We took everything we thought that we'd need; food, weapons, water, bait and so on. We tracked the things up to the snowy peaks, deep in the mountains, marking our way with tall, firmly planted stakes.

That was my idea.

We followed tracks that twisted through the mountain paths, and led into a cave that tunneled through the mountain. The cave led all the way through and we found them wrestling around near the edge of a steep cliff. We spread out and hid behind some rocks in the opening of the cave and began to whisper and hype ourselves for what should have been an easy cornered kill. The area was cut off by the formation of the cave and the cliff face. There were only two ways out, the cave, which we had blocked, and the cliff.

We were all newbies, fresh from the local hunting school, but the others had all been taken out for field hunts against the wild monsters of the world, not the half dead caged ones or the training dummies we normally faced. I work primarily on the farm, and the harvest was being brought in that particular month, so I never got to go out. Despite missing what some would have called a vital part of the course, my 'home front duties' gave me some leeway and I was allowed to move on with the rest of my class. Now we were on our first contracted, officially sanctioned hunt. Not actual guild stuff but I was in the wild. Being that it was my first REAL hunt, I was excited, to say the least.

My "buddies" pushed me out in the open, encouraging me to take first blood. I didn't want to lose the chance to brag back home about that, so I stepped out from my spot, stood strong and drew my great sword. I called out at the blangos to get their attention. They stopped fighting each other at once and turned to me in unison. They either saw me as threat, or new chew toy, I couldn't tell. They clustered together, the biggest of them in front, and started to circle me, to size me up. I started walking opposite of them, sword at the ready, waiting for one to try coming closer. I looked for everything the instructor back home had told me to look for in a blango before a fight; size, complexion, whisker and fang length, anything that might separate them as developing blangongas. No one had sighted a blangonga with the pack, which means that it was either an orphaned family group, or a pack running wild without a leader.

Monster packs always have an alpha; it's an ecological law. As soon as the initial leader dies, or is defeated in combat, another member of the pack starts to take on the physical characteristics it needs to; fangs on a blanganga, large crest on a giaprey. Both are good examples. In any case, pack leaders are stronger than the rest, and taking them down proves you are stronger than the rest.

The thought of slaying a boss monster on my first hunt sent a shiver of excitement through my spine. I couldn't stop my lips from pulling into an eager smile.

I was near the edge of the cliff, somewhere near where the blangos were when we started the circle, and they were where I was. I looked at the rocks my pals were behind to see if they wanted a signal or if they wanted to give one. I saw the top of a head and one set of eyes, from the guy I didn't really know in our group, peep out from behind. He gave me a look and a nod that said _go for it_, and I did just that. I gripped my sword tightly and took one step forward, and stopped when the front blango roared and leaned forward on its knuckles. I braced myself for a full force tackle using my sword as a shield. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact. I kept there, compact, as I heard the crunch of snow beneath feet, but it sounded different. I opened my eyes and looked over my sword. That stupid snow monkey turned tail and ran down the cave, with the others following right behind it. They all darted right past the rocks and my troop started to chase them into the cave, shouting war-cries; they said they would on the walk up. The guy I didn't know looked back at me, glaring at me before darting off into the cave like the others.

My sword slumped down into the snow with a crunch as disappointment swelled over me like an all consuming fire. I felt like the lowest thing in the world. I wanted to just sit there and mop for a while, but realized that I was part of the team and I had to give chase too. I strapped my sword to my back and made sure everything was tight. I knelt to check my boots when a muffled noise, followed by a crack, echoed out of the cave. I got up and headed for the cave, calling out to my party.

Out of nowhere, a literally booming gust of wind ripped out of the cave and blasted me off of my feet. I landed face first in the snow. The gale normally weakens after the first rush, but it kept at full strength. I tried to fight against the continuing wind but it just kept pushing me as I dug into the snow and the ridged icy stone beneath. I kept clawing with all four limbs straining to hold on, but I kept sliding back. I remembered the cliff behind me and panicked. I didn't see how far of a drop it was, but I sure didn't want to find out. I tried harder and harder, bending the tips of my plated gloves and boots. I held myself in place, long enough to feel safe enough to look into the cave. I lifted my head up to see nothing but the snow whipping in the air, forming clumps of solid ice. Something spewed out of the cave, something wet. It splattered on my face, across my eyes. I yelled in distress, but there was no point, I couldn't even hear myself over the thrashing wind. In my blindness, a ball of heavy snow and ice crashed against the top of my head. The shock of the impact made me flinch, and I lost my grip.

In that moment the wind picked up into an even more powerful blast. The current went under my body and lifted me off of the ground, and just like that I was limp in the air. I twirled for a moment before I knew I'd flown off the cliff. I could tell. I wasn't as loud, and I felt like I was falling.

I blacked out before I hit the ground, and woke up plowed three feet deep in soft snow. Some storms had hit the area recently, nothing worse than light snow fall, and that must have saved my life. I strained to stand, thinking my body must be in worse shape than I guessed. But when I got to my feet I realized the storm from up top had followed me down here.

I looked up to see how far I'd fallen, but the storm whipped up so much snow, I couldn't see even four meters ahead.

Now I'm at the bottom of a cliff, recovering from what probably should have been a fatal fall, I don't know how long I've been here, and I don't even know where here is! I don't know how this can get any worse.

And then I hear the screeching call of a giaprey.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

**Out Cold**

The wind bites at the small amounts of exposed skin I have. I dressed for snow, but I expected it on the ground, not in my face. The wind is bad, but nowhere near the same level as it was before. How the hell did that happen? It came FROM the cave. It couldn't have traveled through the entrance we came through; it was too long of a tunnel with too many curves.

I wouldn't be surprised if "the gang" played some trick on me. Nice one, thanks for leaving me out cold at the bottom of a cliff you knocked me off. Don't worry about me, I'll wake up some time later and wander aimlessly until some random explorers find my frozen body.

Asses.

Slow down, anger won't help now. That screech didn't sound too close by, nothing to worry about; unless it's a giadrome. I'd better have my sword ready for the draw. I reach back expecting to grab the hilt of the only weapon I brought, but when I close my fist I feel nothing but icy wind wisp through my gloved fingers. I panic and with both hands start searching my back for it, simultaneously scanning the ground with my eyes. Neither comes up with anything. A sword like mine is so massive that I should feel it by moving my heels, and the wind is so heavy with snow and ice I can barely see five feet forward. I remember that the sword was in my hands when I fell and drop to my knees, frantically searching the ground.

I dig up about a square meter of the snow around my hand prints from my landing and let out a hard sigh of relief when I feel the stiff metal hilt of my sword. I push the snow off of the blade and use what strength I have to lift it from the ground. I get it out of the snow and hold it close to my eye for a quick once over. The blade is intact, no bends or dents, and no rust or corrosion. Thank the gods. That means I haven't been in a coma, a long one anyway.

I stand and hold it parallel to myself, fighting the harsh wind that pushes against the broad blade, and try to twist the hilt. It sticks. Chunks of ice or dirt must be caught in the extending mechanism.

Everyone warned me about this. 'Don't use anything with an extender, they're all hunks of junk.' I've even had my grandma tell me that once, and now, as I stand in a blizzard, in the wilderness with a giadrome on my tail, all I can hear is her old, crabby voice telling me that over and over again.

I grip tighter and try again harder than before.

"Come on you…" trails out of my mouth and into my face guard in frustration.

I feel a click then a snap and the handles extend outward from the blade. I take in a breath and smile. I twist the hilt and shorten the handles before mounting the sword on my back and begin trekking through the deep snow. I don't know where I'm going, but with no shelter and the possibility of a giadrome in the area, anywhere is better than where I am now.

I walk for nearly an hour, staying close to the cliff wall, using it as a guide through the storm. It just doesn't let up. It doesn't seem possible. I've heard of storms, legendary storms, that didn't last this long. I don't even remember seeing a sign of danger in the sky before that first blast from the cave.

I keep my hands on the wall, feeling my way along. As I go along, I start to realize that the face is starting to slope anyway from me. That's great! If the path I'm on continues with it, I might find a spot with a low enough incline to climb. I think for a second as I shuffle along whether it's a good idea to keep heading upward in a storm like this. I take a step and feel the ground rumble under my foot, and fall out from under me. I bound back, heels and back to the wall in shock, and recognize that going down is far worse than up.

I also realize that if the ground is so loose here that one footstep could break the shelf, I'm going to have to turn back. I mutter and curse under my breath as the wind picks up and blows through the visor holes in my face guard.

I don't even make it back a few meters before I hear it. I hear it lightly, almost totally covered by the snow and wind, but I hear it.

I hear the rasp of a giaprey, dead ahead of me.

I don't know what to do! I shuffle back and forth, trying to decide which way to go, both leading to certain death. I snap myself out of the panic and hold my place against the wall. I draw my great sword and take position, one foot nearly off the edge. I hear it screech. It's coming closer. I can't see it at first, but parts start fading into view. One by one, its blue markings become more and more visible, along with the crest and yellow beak-like muzzle. It doesn't notice me at first, too busy watching its own path. Looks like I'm not the only one lost. It looks lean, hungry. It must have run out of food in its home and went out looking for more with no such luck. Now it's here on the edge of a cliff like me. I wonder if it screwed up like I did. I wonder if it had 'friends' like I did.

It sees me, tilting its head in surprise, and then scratching its claws in delight. I brace myself and it leans back on its hind legs for a leap. I haul my sword back for one power slash and it pounces. I swing at it, hitting home in the head, just to the side of the crest. I can feel the cracks and breaks as the heft of the sword implodes the creature's skull.

It's a one hit kill and I'm happy as hell.

But I'm brought back to reality when I realize that it hit me too, with a long talon going through my left abdomen. I yell in pain, so loud I can hear it and the echo through the continuing storm. I pull the sword out with a slush and strap it to my back. With both hands I grip the claw imbedded in my flesh and grit my teeth as I pull it out.

Maybe that was not a good idea.

I drop the monster toward the edge as my vision blurs and I start to wobble. I fall to my knees, taking in the sight of the first real monster I hunted. I smile and cough, "... What now, you stupid gia?" and spit on it.

I can see the red of my saliva stain the white scales through the whirling snow.

As if answering, me it slides off the cliff hind first, with the last thing I see being the back of its hand, middle talon extended.

"… Right…" I huff in response, falling face first into the snow.

I feel the ground rumble beneath me, and everything gets scary. Things start to pass through my head; scary things, like the thought that I am actually dying, here, now, without accomplishing anything in my life. I feel my gut wrench around the wound and I want to cry. I make resolve and try to push myself up, but as my hands push from the ground beneath me, the solid ground fades and I go nowhere.

The ground turns to rubble and I feel everything release. My eyes stay closed the whole time. I feel free, weightless. I feel lightened, I feel careless, I let go. I don't care about the new wind hurling at me, I don't care about the fact the fact that I'm spinning, I don't care about the roar and crashes of the rocks that crumble all around me, and I don't even care that I'm falling.

All of it just disappears as I wander out of reality and into the darkness of sleep.


End file.
